1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to padded frames. More particularly it relates to a padded picture frame made from a mounting board having a layer of foam sponge material secured thereto on one side thereof and an adhesive surface on the opposite side thereof. It also relates to the method for making the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Padded picture frames have been made by traditional or obvious processes which has been modified somewhat by modern materials. In times past in homes where materials were scarce, such as on a farm or in the country, picture frames were made from cardboard and cloth rather than from glass with a surrounding wooden frame. This was done by utilizing a mounting board of a suitable size to cover the picture to be framed and then cutting a hole in the center of the mounting board to surround the actual portion of the picture to be exposed for viewing. In many instances this center opening was an oval simply because in most cases the picture was a photograph of a person and the picture was in effect cropped by the opening used to frame it. The padded picture frame permitted this type of a mounting exposure unlike picture frames made with glass and a surrounding frame which usually show the whole picture.
The padded frame was made by gluing batting to the front or exposed surface of the mounting frame to provide the padded underlayment for the decorative fabric cover. The decorative fabric material was then stretched over the batting material and wrapped around the edges of the frame and secured to it with glue. While the glue dried, straight pins held the material along the edge of the mounting frame and clothes pins on the corners held the material where it was folded over and glued double layered to the back of the mounting frame. The same technique of securing the fabric to the frame was also used for the center of the mounting frame. By cutting a hole in the center of the fabric and then folding the edges back through the opening in the frame to the back side of the mounting board, the fabric could also be secured to the mounting board around the edges of the center opening on the back side thereof with glue and pins. The decorative covering material in combination with the batting effected a contoured external surface for the padded frame.
A modern improvement in this technique occurred when double faced tape such as carpet tape became available. It could be secured along the edges of the mounting board and around the center opening, and the fabric was then simply wrapped around and stuck to the double faced tape. This greatly simplified the making of these picture frames, and such frames have been described in crafts magazines and possibly sold by the hobby industry in kit form.
There still are several disadvantages to making even these simplified padded frames. The main one is that the batting is very difficult to arrange to provide a smooth molded contour without lumps and which will maintain its shape and provide a uniform bulging appearance.
A further problem in making a padded frame is providing it with a back cover. The external rear surface of the cover is provided with a matching decorative fabric the same as that of the frame, but for some reason it is usual to provide a contrasting fabric on the inside surface for backing the picture to be placed in the frame and this contrasting fabric also needs to be secured to the back cover.
The present invention makes it simplier to construct a padded frame than by using the known prior art means. This is done by supplying materials having adhesive surfaces already disposed thereon and covered with a protective mask which can be selectively removed to expose only that portion of the adhesive necessary for constructing the padded frame.